It was the summer of 2009. Sidney Crosby had just lifted his first career Stanley Cup, Alexander Ovechkin had won his second Hart Memorial Trophy, and the Edmonton Oilers fans had not yet realized that the Decade of Darkness had already begun.
That same summer, a player by the name of Evander Kane entered the league. Coming off a phenomenal WHL season for the Vancouver Giants, only three players preceded him in the draft: John Tavares, Victor Hedman, and Matt Duchene. Fast forward to his fifth NHL team, the Oilers, this left winger was one game away from becoming a Stanley Cup Champion. Let’s take a look at the player profile of Evander Kane.
Kane’s playing career
Before his NHL debut with the Atlanta Thrashers, Kane spent time with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL. He experienced limited action in his first season, 2006–07 campaign, that saw the Giants lift the Memorial Cup. Kane became a regular addition to the team in the following two campaigns, receiving a nomination for the WHL rookie of the year award and amassing an impressive 48 goals in 61 games in the 2008–09 season.
In their second-last NHL draft, the Thrashers drafted Kane with the fourth pick. He was immediately inserted into the lineup, putting up 26 points in 66 games. Kane continued on with the Thrashers for one more season before moving up north, as the team relocated to become the new Winnipeg Jets. His best season for the Thrashers/Jets franchise came in 2011–12 campaign, where he had the first of his two career high 30-goal seasons.
Kane would be traded to the Buffalo Sabres in February 2015, along with Zach Bogosian and rights to Jason Kasdorf, in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Jack Roslovic. He spent two-plus seasons in the Sabres uniform, scoring team-high 28 goals and finishing with 43 points in the 2016–17 campaign.
The following season, Kane was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Danny O’Regan and a number of conditional picks in 2019 and 2020 NHL drafts. His best season for the Sharks came in 2018–19, putting up 30 goals for the second time in his career and being a part of the team that fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the St. Louis Blues, in the Western Conference Finals. Kane’s tenure with the Sharks came to a tumultuous conclusion after he received a 21-game suspension for violating the NHL’s COVID-19 policy in the 2021–21 season. Kane’s contracts was terminated by the Sharks in January 2022.
That same month, Kane signed a one-year deal with the Oilers. His impact was immediate as he had 39 points in 43 games. He went on to score 13 goals in 15 playoff games that season, including a hat-trick in Game 3 of the Battle of Alberta. Unfortunately, the Oilers would fall to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, in the Western Conference Finals. For his season, Kane was rewarded with a four-year $20.5M contract and he has remained with the Oilers since.
Kane has experienced a number of injuries and ailments throughout his career. More recently, he has been dealing with a hip issue which has been a subject of much discussion. As reported on the Oil Rig on August 14, it has been speculated that Kane may start the season on the LTIR.
International career
Kane is no stranger to international duties throughout the career. He has won the gold medal with Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2008 as well as at the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship.
Kane was a part of Team Canada’s IIHF Men’s World Championship roster in 2010, 2011 and 2012, failing to podium in each of these appearances.
Career statistics
Kane’s best statistical season was the 2011–12 campaign for the Jets where he tallied 30 goals and 57 points. His career high in penalty minutes was 153 in the 2018–19 season while his career high number of hits was 250 for the 2023–24 Oilers.
| Scor | Scor | Scor | Ice | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | ATOI | HIT |
| 2009-10 | ATL | 66 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 2 | 62 | 14:00 | 97 |
| 2010-11 | ATL | 73 | 19 | 24 | 43 | -12 | 68 | 17:52 | 151 |
| 2011-12 | WPG | 74 | 30 | 27 | 57 | 11 | 53 | 17:31 | 173 |
| 2012-13 | WPG | 48 | 17 | 16 | 33 | -3 | 80 | 20:27 | 147 |
| 2013-14 | WPG | 63 | 19 | 22 | 41 | -7 | 66 | 20:17 | 173 |
| 2014-15 | WPG | 37 | 10 | 12 | 22 | -1 | 56 | 19:19 | 119 |
| 2015-16 | BUF | 65 | 20 | 15 | 35 | -14 | 91 | 21:02 | 171 |
| 2016-17 | BUF | 70 | 28 | 15 | 43 | -17 | 113 | 19:12 | 109 |
| 2017-18 | TOT | 78 | 29 | 25 | 54 | -9 | 82 | 19:35 | 159 |
| 2017-18 | BUF | 61 | 20 | 20 | 40 | -14 | 57 | 19:23 | 120 |
| 2017-18 | SJS | 17 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 5 | 25 | 20:15 | 39 |
| 2018-19 | SJS | 75 | 30 | 26 | 56 | -4 | 153 | 18:25 | 173 |
| 2019-20 | SJS | 64 | 26 | 21 | 47 | -12 | 122 | 19:32 | 135 |
| 2020-21 | SJS | 56 | 22 | 27 | 49 | -1 | 42 | 20:12 | 97 |
| 2021-22 | EDM | 43 | 22 | 17 | 39 | 25 | 60 | 19:27 | 135 |
| 2022-23 | EDM | 41 | 16 | 12 | 28 | -4 | 53 | 18:42 | 124 |
| 2023-24 | EDM | 77 | 24 | 20 | 44 | -4 | 85 | 16:47 | 250 |
| Career | 15 yrs | 930 | 326 | 291 | 617 | -50 | 1186 | 18:42 | 2213 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/26/2024.
Player profile
Kane is a left-shooting, left wing player who has both a scoring touch and a physical edge to his game. Though he does not have a particularly large frame, his style of play can be described as a power forward. Given his age and declining ice-time over the last three seasons, it is fair to say that Kane is now in the latter part of their career.
Strengths
As he has demonstrated throughout his career, Kane can put the puck into the back of the net. He has had two 30-goal seasons in his career and has put up an impressive 13 goals in 15 games for the Oilers in their 2021–22 playoff run.
In addition, Kane is not afraid to put physical pressure and finish his checks. His use of the body was particularly noted this past season as he had registered 250 hits for the Oilers. Pending the outcome of his hip issues and potential surgery, a case can still be made for a healthy Kane as a top-six to a top-nine power forward.
Weaknesses
Kane’s offensive scoring touch makes him a potent weapon on any team. However, his defensive play is not a characteristic that particularly stands out. While he is not known to be a particular liability on ice, his play can certainly tighten up at times as he has demonstrated in some of the playoff games with the Oilers.
Without diving deep into the past, EKane is no stranger to controversy throughout his career. Among them is the violation of the NHL COVID-19 protocols that has resulted in a 21-game suspension in 2021–22 season.
Previous reports indicate concerns around his presence in some of the league locker rooms he has played in. If this is substantiated, and on a team looking to have another run well into the June, a reputation like this can certainly raise a few concerns.
How does Kane fit with the Oilers?
At this point in time, Kane’s status on the roster remains unclear. While he is projected to start the season on the LTIR, you cannot help but wonder where he is going to fit into the lineup when he is healthy (and if salary cap is not a concern).
With the signing of Jeff Skinner, his fate in the top-six forward group is likely all but sealed at this time. If the current third line of Mattias Janmark-Adam Henrique-Connor Brown continues to click, this may force Kane into the fourth line, a place in the line-up that he may not want to accept at this point in his career. It is important to remember that Kane does have a no-movement clause in his contract that is set to expire ahead of the next year’s trade deadline.
Heading into the season, a question is looming over the Rogers Place: has Kane (and his salary) become the odd-man out in Edmonton with the current line-up and with the Oilers’ management looking to negotiate a set of new contracts for their key players?
